Follow Us on Google
…As union says retirees receive N450 monthly
From Bimbola Oyesola,
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has raised the alarm over what it described as “gross social injustice” against retirees, revealing that some state governments still pay as little as N400 to N450 as monthly pensions.
President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Elder Godwin Abumisi, accused certain governors of abandoning senior citizens to extreme hardship.
“Our major challenge lies with the states,” he said. “In many states, pensioners are still receiving as little as N400 or N450 monthly. This is deeply worrying. How can anyone survive on N450 a month?”
Fighting back emotion, the NUP president questioned whether some governors fully grasp the human cost of such payments. He said many retirees, despite decades of service, are left struggling to feed their families and pay medical bills.
“I often ask myself whether governors realize that pensioners are human beings, with families to feed and basic needs to meet,” Abumisi said. “Each time this issue is raised, it brings me close to tears.”
The union has launched an investigation into affected states and plans to publicly name them after verification. Abumisi said the move is aimed at ensuring accuracy while compelling accountability.
“We will furnish the media with the names of the affected states once we complete verification,” he said. “We want the press to consistently highlight this injustice so that these states can reconsider their actions.”
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to intervene, urging them to prevail on erring states to review pension payments upward and guarantee retirees a liveable income.
“We appeal to the conscience of Nigerians, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Governors’ Forum to act. Pensioners deserve dignity, not neglect,” he declared.
Other News
While condemning defaulting states, Abumisi commended others he said were setting the right example. He singled out Kano State, noting that no pensioner in the state is currently owed arrears of pension or gratuity.
“As I speak to you, there is no pensioner in Kano State owed arrears. This shows that when leaders have conscience, pensioners are treated with dignity,” he said. He also praised Oyo State for what he described as commendable efforts.
Abumisi further lauded Tinubu’s administration for what he termed consistent support to federal pensioners, including the approval of N758 billion to offset outstanding arrears under the Contributory Pension Scheme and N58 billion for the Defined Benefit Scheme.
“I want to state clearly that we judge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the most pensioner-friendly President Nigeria has had,” he said. “The Federal Government is largely up to date in the payment of pension benefits, particularly the N32,000 pension increase, and arrears have been cleared.”
However, he expressed concern over the slow rollout of the Federal Government’s compulsory health insurance policy for pensioners, saying many retirees are overwhelmed by rising medical costs.
“Pensioners spend a significant portion of their income on drugs, and drug prices have skyrocketed,” Abumisi said. “Healthcare costs are extremely high. If assistance comes through the National Health Insurance Scheme, pensioners will wholeheartedly welcome it.”
Beyond welfare issues, Abumisi also addressed internal disputes within the union, insisting that reforms initiated under his leadership were approved by the National Delegates Conference (NDC), the union’s highest decision-making body.
“At the Kano National Delegates Conference, I promised I would leave this union better than I met it,” he said. “The NDC empowered me to restructure the union, and no individual including the President can reverse its decisions.”
He revealed that opposition from the union’s General Secretary and some supporters followed moves to implement a new constitution and retirement reforms extending service limits within the union to 40 years or 65 years of age.
Despite the internal challenges, Abumisi maintained that the union remains focused on securing justice for pensioners nationwide particularly those surviving on what he called “an insultingly low” N450 a month.
“The real crisis is in the states,” he insisted. “Until every pensioner can live with dignity, we will not stop speaking out.”
